Ahmadinejad's letter also said the US invasion of Iraq has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, an exponential growth of terrorism and the destruction of Iraq's infrastructure.

"I consider it extremely unlikely that you, the American people, consent to the billions of dollars of annual expenditure from your treasury for this military misadventure," he said.

He suggested it would be beneficial for the US to withdraw its troops from Iraq and spend its money instead on domestic problems, citing the "many victims" of Hurricane Katrina who continue to suffer and "countless" Americans living in poverty.

He also said the Bush administration's policies in its fight against terrorism were harming Americans directly.

"The US administration's illegal and immoral behavior is not even confined to outside its borders. You are witnessing daily that under the pretext of 'the war on terror,' civil liberties in the United States are being increasingly curtailed," he said.

"I have no doubt that the American people do not approve of this behavior and indeed deplore it," he said.

Ahmadinejad focused some attention on the past good relations between the US and Iran, and said both countries' people are "inclined towards the good, and toward extending a helping hand to one another, particularly to those in need."

Ahmadinejad has alienated many Americans by calling for Israel's destruction and repeatedly dismissing the Nazi Holocaust as a myth. He also strongly supports the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Lebanese faction Hezbollah, which the US considers terrorist organizations.

In his letter, Ahmadinejad accused the Bush administration of disregarding US public opinion by supporting "the trampling of the rights of the Palestinian people" by Israel. He urged Americans to support the right of the Palestinians to live in their own homeland.

Twice this year, Iran has proposed talks with the US over the security situation in Iraq, but Ahmadinejad has said that for such negotiations to take place, Washington must change its behavior. On Sunday, he said Iran was ready to help the US get out of the "Iraqi quagmire if the US changes its bullying policy toward Iran."

Iran and the US have had no diplomatic relations since 1979 when militants seized the US Embassy in Tehran and kept 52 people hostage for 444 days.

Ahmadinejad wrote a rambling, 18-page letter to Bush in May, lambasting the US leader for his handling of the Sept. 11 attacks and accusing the media of spreading lies about the Iraq war.

Washington dismissed the letter for also not addressing Iran's nuclear program.

Wednesday's letter also makes no mention of Iran's disputed nuclear program, which the US alleges is geared toward secretly developing atomic weapons. The US is leading the drive to impose UN sanctions on Tehran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium.

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